Reforming Introductory Biology at MSU - Does it Make a Difference?

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Biological Sciences (61)This project is reforming a foundational biology course. The assessment plan is providing evidence for impacts of the reform through measures of students': 1) process skills and conceptual understanding of biological principles, 2) preparation for and performance in upper-level course work in biological science, 3) attitudes and views about science, and 4) attrition from the life science majors following introductory biology. Outcomes for students completing the reformed course are compared with those who took the traditional course. This project is adapting a professional development model used at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for engaging teams of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students in scholarly work in teaching and learning. The project is providing a venue for conducting research about student learning and developing teaching and learning expertise for current and future faculty. The project proposes a path model that describes interrelationships among reform variables. The model provides a context for testing specific hypotheses about the impacts of individual variables on student learning as well as the aggregate effects of curricular reform.